Review: Hanna

Let me just say that Saoirse Ronan is freaking amazing. There is really nothing more to say when it comes to Joe Wright's Hanna. Okay, I guess I can go into a little more detail, but just remember that the success of this film starts and ends with Ronan, and boy does she deliver.

Hanna begins with our title character venturing out on a hunting expedition. It ends in much the same way (give or take a mammal or two). The story is rather simple - a young girl, trained by her father to 'adapt or die', is dispatched on a ruthless mission that has her being tracked by a expert intelligence agent and her operatives. Sounds simple, right? When put to film, the story is really so much more.

Along her journey Hanna meets and befriends a hippie families' daughter, discovers electricity and music for the first time, ruins a first-kiss moment with a Spanish boy by literally coming on too strong and eventually learns the brutal truth of her identity. Granted her intelligence lies within the books she reads, not her social skills, yet the final reveal seems a bit too present-day for her to fully understand.

An incredible cast makes Joe Wright's film an entertaining, adrenaline filled experience unlike anything else I've seen this year. Our three leading actors do a brilliant job in their respective roles, playing off one another as they interact with flawless precision, keeping audience members guessing until the very last minute.

The finale comes a bit too soon as I wasn't ready to let go of Hanna or the incredible adventure she was taking. I credit much of that to the film's writers who cleverly mix humor, action, drama and violence into one incredible intoxicating story. I will say that Hanna is not your typical film. It features a unique style which creates an unusual visual appeal, one that reminds me of films like Resovour Dogs and Kill Bill. Together everything comes together to craft a film worthy of seeing on the big screen, a fun surprise during the usually dry month of April.

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About Stephen Davis

I owe this hobby/career to the one and only Stephanie Peterman who, while interning at Fox, told me that I had too many opinions and irrelevant information to keep it all bottled up inside. I survived my first rated R film, Alive, at the ripe age of 8, it took me months to grasp the fact that Julia Roberts actually died at the end of Steel Magnolias, and I might be the only person alive who actually enjoyed Sorority Row…for its comedic value of course. While my friends can drink you under the table, I can outwatch you when it comes iconic, yet horrid 80s films like Adventures in Babysitting and Troop Beverly Hills. I have no shame when it comes to what I like, and if you have a problem with that, then we’ll settle it on the racquetball court. I see too many movies to actually win any film trivia contest, so don’t waste your first pick on me. My friends rent movies from my bookcase shelves, and one day I do plan to start charging. I long to live in LA, where my movie obsession will actually help me fit in, but for now I am content with my home in Austin. I prefer indies to blockbusters, Longhorns to Sooners and Halloween to Friday the 13th. I miss the classics, as well as John Ritter, and I hope to one day sit down and interview the amazing Kate Winslet.